water hoses

[Ron Bukowski]

I am in the process of winterizing my boat and something came up in regards to the intake hose for the engine cooling water. My boat was re-powered 3 years ago by the PO just before I bought it so the hose in question is only 3 years old. The hose is very inflexible, heavy wall and probably wire reinforced, and is difficult to work with when removing it from the sea cock and maneuvering the end of it into a bottle or bucket of anti-freeze to winterize the engine. Is there any reason that this intake hose couldn't be of the same variety as the heater hoses used in automotive applications? They are more flexible and probably less expensive than the heavy stiff kind used in so many places on boats. I'd be interested in hearing from anyone with "hose sense".

[Tom Glennon]

Ron, my boat has an interesting configuration for the engine intake:

The hose coming from the sea cock has a filter on it, then... a couple of inches above that there is a "T", with a ball valve lever, with that hose "Teed" into the sink drain in the head.   When winterizing my engine, I close the engine sea cock, with fresh water running in the sink with the ball valve opened allowing the sink water to be sucked into the engine (of course the sink drain sea cock is closed).  after a good flush with the fresh water, I begin to pour the antifreeze into the sink and shut off the fresh water.

You could very well do this during the season also, if you are in salt water, to flush the engine occasionally with fresh water.

[Brad Colon]

When I put antifreeze into my engine I just open the door under the sink, remove the hose clamps, lift the intake hose off of the strainer,  and place the end of the hose in a small plastic bowl. I then pour the antifreeze into the bowl as the engine runs. There is no mess, no wrestling with the hose or with a bucket. After I finish running a couple of gallons of antifreeze through the engine, I  remove the strainer and clean it out and leave it beside the intake. Just write yourself a note to install it in the spring.
When I figured out to use a small bowl I was amazed that I had not thought of this before.
I don't think I would recommend using automotive hose but I can not give a real good reason why not. I guess for some silly reason I think the marine hose would hold up longer. But I could be wrong..

[Ron Bukowski]

My winterizing process is basically the same as Brad describes. My question is about the specs for the hose. I just got rid of a car with more than 100,000 miles in 8 years and had no problem with the heater hoses and they carry water at about 180 degrees. The sea water coming in to cool the engine coolant is only 75 or 80 degrees.

[Ray & Sandy Erps]

Ron,

IMO the hose between the thru hull and the water pump should be wire reinforced so it doesn't collapse under suction or on any sharp bends.  The water pump can develope quite a bit of suction, especially if there is a restriction in the sea water strainer or thru hull.  Last summer I got plugged up with some eel grass.  The suction was so strong, it was displacing the O-ring in the sea water strainer.  I don't think it matters whether it marine or automotive.

[APACHE]

Ron : Ray is correct.  You need a wire reinforced hose in three  situations.  
1. On the suction side of any pump.  That suction can and will collapse an unreinforced hose.  Conversely you don't need a reinforced hose on the exhaust side of a pump.
2. If the fluid is extremely hot.  A hot liquid can and over time will deform a hose.  Like an aneurysm that hose could "rupture".
3. If the hose makes an acute bend of more than 45 degrees.  That bend will cause the inside diameter to decrease at the site of the bend.

Think that I wrote this up in one of the Mainsheet Tech notes.